8 Takeaways From a Sit Down With Social Media Mogul Gary Vaynerchuk

Gary Vaynerchuk is one of the world’s leading marketing experts and CEO of VaynerMedia, one of the world’s hottest digital agencies. He built his career by trying to find out where consumer attention is going next, and then being the first one to get there. One day, he hopes to have enough money to buy the New York Jets. So maybe that’s that why he met with the Jerry Media team yesterday?

That’s right, @fuckjerry and his crew were invited to Vaynerchuk’s office for a talk on how they might be able to help one another. Krispyshorts was there too, equipped with his vlogging gear to film his 184th episode. It’s might be one of Krispy’s longest videos to date, but very interesting if you’re passionate about growing your business. Here are 8 takeaways we picked up from this discussion.

1. Be hungry

If you want to be big, you have to be hungry. Find out what’s hip before it’s hip. What’s underpriced when everything else is overpriced? Jump into it at the right moment and you can grow your revenue extremely quickly. For example, retro and nostalgia were a big thing just a few years ago. People loved to rediscover the things they had once loved, only in a new wrapping.

2. Think 20 years ahead

Most start-up companies don’t think much further than a few years. But if you want to keep growing, it’s important to anticipate what might happen in the long term. If you think ahead, you’re better prepared for when it actually happens. Nothing is too crazy and even the most outlandish things may come to life in the future.

3. Know what you stand for

It’s OK to take some time to find out what your company actually stands for, but at some point you have to be able to say “here’s what we’re selling.” Make what you are offering as consumable as possible. The easier it is for others to understand you, the more likely they will want to work together.

4. Know your “secret sauce”

Jerry Media is unique in the way that it’s actually a collective of influencers with an in-house reach of 30 million followers. That’s their “secret sauce,” what makes them different from other, sometimes much bigger advertising agencies. This is something Vaynerchuk seems very interested in…

5. Choose your “COO”

Jerry Media is also unique in the way that they are an advertising company with no real prior advertising experience—they’re all just entrepreneurs. It worried Vaynerchuk a little bit that there was no real appointee to manage Jerry Media’s day-to-day operations. He therefore suggested that this might be the right time to find someone to take on a COO-like role (which could be several people too). Because it’s usually a good idea to have someone who takes on a more managerial role for when bigger companies come knocking on your door.

6. Differentiate

In the days of digital media, it’s important to never be at the mercy of any medium. Being the first to appear on a Google search, directing your entire marketing budget towards Snapchat, or sending out the best thought-out newsletters could be the best way to go one day, but a wrong approach the next. Differentiation will allow you to stay one step ahead of no longer being cool.

7. Network

Never be too shy to reach out to anyone. Talk to people, connect with anyone who might be useful towards the growth of your company. Having someone “big” in your network—your sector’s very own Gary Vaynerchuk—could some day prove to be a great asset. The vlog shows how Gary’s clearly interested in cooperating with Jerry Media. It’s not entirely clear if and how they will actually do so, but hey, Vaynerchuk at least offered!

8. Branding

When you’re trying to grow, everything you do should revolve around developing your brand. Build a name for yourself. Eventually, your brand will outreach your own personality, no matter how big. Unless you want to make a brand out of yourself, that is.